Tempting the Footman (House of Devon #5) - Lauren Smith Page 0,26

of your half sisters is here for the house party.”

Her excited whisper caused a spike of fear and confusion in him. “What? I saw no one from the house of Stratford on the guest list.”

“She’s Lady Mowbray, married to Viscount Mowbray. She can’t be much older than you. How old are you?”

“I am nine and twenty,” he replied, but his mind was now miles away. Had Mr. Reeves known that one of Adrian’s half siblings was here? Surely he would have memorized the pedigree of each guest. Was that why he had allowed Adrian to stay away from the guests and tend to Lady Venetia instead?

“Oh, Adrian, what if you could meet her? She’s very lovely. I’ve met her once or twice before at dinner parties in London. Her husband, Lord Mowbray, is charming and kind.”

For a second he considered it, but then he laughed at his own foolishness. No matter how the little boy he’d once been who’d craved siblings wished for such an outcome, he could never let it happen. “No, I cannot meet her. She must never learn about me. I would lose my position here, and then I wouldn’t be able to find other employment, because I have no other skills than service. I cannot afford to starve again.”

With a little gasp, she covered her mouth with her hand. “Again?”

“I’m sorry, Lady Venetia. I have spoken out of turn. I should leave you to rest.” He started to stand.

“Please don’t. It seems I am constantly upsetting you with my careless conversation. Please do not leave. Please.” She held out a hand to him.

For a long second, he battled within himself to do the right thing. To politely walk away. But damn her beautiful eyes, he could not leave.

He clasped her hand in his again, and the soft, relieved smile that curled her lips undid him. The loose gold waves of her hair tumbled down her shoulders, catching sunlight, which clung to it like a lover. She was exquisite. She was a goddess so far above his reach. Yet when she looked at him the way she was doing now, she felt more real to him than any woman he’d ever been with. Was it because he’d shared so much of himself with her? He’d never let himself be vulnerable like this with anyone.

“We won’t speak of Lady Mowbray, I promise, but do you think you could arrange for us to have dinner in another room? My ankle feels less painful, and I would desperately like to be out of this blasted bedchamber. It doesn’t suit me at all to feel like an invalid. I know I cannot attend dinner with the others, because that would require hobbling about quite foolishly, but surely we could have dinner outside of this room?”

Adrian tapped his chin. “I will speak with Mr. Reeves and see if we can have you dine in the upstairs library.”

“Oh, lovely. I can’t think of a better place.”

Adrian collected the teapot from the tray and a cloth and sat down in a chair. He felt Lady Venetia’s eyes on him, so he pretended to examine the teapot in his lap and began to rub a spot of tarnish, trying to ignore how self-conscious he felt in that moment.

“That must be very tedious. Shall I read to entertain you?”

“I . . . Yes, I’d like that very much.”

Lady Venetia retrieved a book from a nearby table and began to read to him while he polished. For the first time in a long while, he lost himself in a story as he worked. Half an hour later, he was laughing with her as they discussed the Gothic romance she had been reading.

Lady Venetia wiped tears off her cheeks as she laughed so hard she cried. “You are right, these books . . . Oh, heavens . . .” She dissolved into giggles.

“I think it must be a requirement for the heroine of a Gothic novel to roam willy-nilly about in her thinnest nightgown and always carry a candelabra. It’s a bloody miracle the castles aren’t burned down, given all the flames waving wildly about.”

“Oh, but I do like them,” said Lady Venetia. “One always knows what to expect. The brutal hero who at last reveals his love and rescues the heroine from the true villain. There is some comfort in the predictability.”

“Life is only interesting because it’s unpredictable.” Adrian set the now gleaming teapot on the tray just as Lady Venetia stood up.

“You think so?” she asked